Africa - Disaster Risk Reduction Fact Sheet #1, Fiscal Year (FY) 2015

Many countries across the African continent face recurrent complex emergencies, frequent food insecurity, cyclical drought, and sudden-onset disasters such as earthquakes, floods, and storms. In FY 2015, as in previous years, USAID/OFDA not only responded to urgent needs resulting from disasters, but also supported DRR programs that built resilience and improved emergency preparedness, mitigation, and response capacity at the local, national, and regional levels.

USAID/OFDA’s FY 2015 DRR activities in Africa included instituting early warning systems for hazards, strengthening agricultural livelihoods to mitigate the effects of drought and food insecurity, and engaging vulnerable communities to understand and implement disaster preparedness and mitigation practices. USAID/OFDA assistance also promoted efforts to build national capacity for disaster response and to connect DRR actors within local, regional, and international civil society organizations operating throughout the region.

USAID/OFDA-supported initiatives included programs that integrated DRR activities into ongoing emergency response efforts, bolstering the capacity of stakeholders to respond to continuing crises such as the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in West Africa and complex emergencies in Mali and Somalia.